


Correspondence

by Angrykarin666



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fluff, Gen, Genius Harry Potter, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pen Pals, Person of Color Harry Potter, Pre-Canon, for all 3 fandoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2020-08-23 17:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20246320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angrykarin666/pseuds/Angrykarin666
Summary: Harry manages to, thanks to his doing Dudley's homework as well, get himself a pair of pen-pals from different schools. He hopes that at least one of them will be his first friend, not knowing what this choice will change not just for him but the two he's assigned to write to.





	1. Sowilo

**Author's Note:**

> AKA. my shamelessly self indulgent excuse to make 3 of my favorite childhood characters best friends. If L, Ryou, and Harry being friends (or a crossover between 2/all of these series) sounds like your cup of tea as well than please enjoy this fanfic!

Recently ten year old Harry James Potter was excited, more so than he’d ever been in his life as far as he can remember. When he had first started going to primary school the messy haired boy had foolishly hoped that things would be different for him there than they were at Number 4 Private Drive, that he would make friends and be able to learn to his heart’s content. But now, 5 years later, the green eyed child had long since realized that his relatives would never allow that.

Dudley had chased away any and all potential friends while Aunt Petunia had gleefully poisoned the staff’s minds with the same tripe she fed the neighbors that they, despite being professionals that should know better, ate up the way the Dursleys gorged themselves on the meals Harry would cook for them. And after the beatings Harry received from Uncle Vernon every time he outdid Dudley mark-wise the spectacled boy quickly learned to keep his intellect hidden away the same way he hid the strange gifts he alone possessed, like the way he could understand and speak to the snakes that always sought him out every time he’d garden for Aunt Petunia to “earn his keep”.

Harry had thought that this year would be much of the same, if a little more tolerable thanks to the arrangement he’d made with his cousin last year. Harry would do Dudley’s homework for him, freeing up his cousin to have whatever fun he desired, in exchange for the blonde boy pretending that he didn’t exist at all outside of Number 4 and his parents’ scrutiny. A fair trade considering it allowed Harry to leave for the local library all he wished “to ensure his cousin’s work was perfect” so long as he came home in time to cook dinner, leaving him free to enjoy all the calm and information he desired for the majority of every afternoon save weekends; where he cleaned the house and tended the garden.

But that was before their teacher announced their year’s extra credit assignment.

This year Harry and Dudley’s class was offered the chance to write to students from another school, which they would gain an automatic boost to their marks for doing, so long as they continued to write for the entire year. And thanks to his agreement with Dudley, and the larger boy’s disinterest with the project beyond the praise his parents gave for how smart it was for him to volunteer for it, Harry would be getting two pen-pals instead of just one! He couldn’t believe his luck!

Currently the black haired boy was sat in his usual table at the public library - a perpetually untouched corner one near the foreign language and other dictionary shelves that were practically useless in this drearily boring corner of Britain, especially now that everyone could just look up words and the like on the computer at home - and worked on penning out his first letters. He knew he couldn’t give out his name, in no small part because one of his pen-pals was actually supposed to be Dudley’s. But he also knew that both would need to be able to call him ****something**** or else they may get upset and stop writing to him.

As he was pondering what to make his alias, starting to get frustrated, he turned to work on his newest topic of study to try and refresh his mind before trying again. It was halfway through his study of ancient Norse culture, in particular their writing system of Futhark runes, that Harry found his answer in the chart of ancient symbols. Beaming the ten year old finally got to writing, taking particular joy in writing down the rune he’d chosen for his alias.

\------ 

L sighed as Wammy walked up to him, letter in hand, from his seat at his computer desk. The genius was already regretting his decision to join the local school board’s pen-pal program, but he knew that if he didn’t attempt an effort at socializing with non-Wammy House children then his guardian and surrogate father would never get off his case about overworking himself. Hopefully the child that had been chosen for him would be either smart enough to keep conversation with, or so abysmal a writer that he could make the elder man agree to let him drop the program altogether - at least for a little while.

As the twelve year old accepted the envelope, dark and tired eyes scanning its contents quickly after opening the nondescript packaging lazily but elegantly, his brows soon rose to disappear behind the wild black bangs that obscured much of his forehead. His pen-pal, this “Sowilo” as he chose to be called, was looking to be along the lines of the former of his hopes rather than the latter. Taking a sip of his tea and popping a sugar cube from the tray it rested on into his mouth the detective smiled.

Perhaps this socialization effort won’t be such a waste after all, Sowilo seemed to be rather intelligent based on this first letter of his.

L gently placed the letter down, thumb coming up to rest on his lip as he formulated his response in his head.

He, much like Sowilo but likely for different reasons, couldn’t just use his name in the letter but had to choose something to be referred to as. L was both his true name and his alias, as most would assume it’s the latter when he gives it anyways due to its unusual nature, and was rather infamous due to his popularity as a detective. He couldn’t risk drawing attention to himself by giving it to a child that may be smart enough to at least guess that L might actually be ****the**** L. 

The detective also had to test his new pen-pal. Sowilo, for as smart as they appeared to be, was probably not a genius on the same level at the raven himself was. And the fact that their letters may be glanced over by third parties like the child’s teacher or classmates made him reluctant to respond with his usual IQ tests or questions, so a change of strategy was in order… But what?

It was a second glance at the other child’s letter that had the boy’s black eyes gleaming with inspiration. Reaching into the drawer of his desk the genius pulled out a simple lined notebook and pen, popping another cube of sugar in his mouth as he starts writing down his response. This was going to be a perfect test of Sowilo’s resolve to write to him, and L was eager to discover just how intelligent and eager to converse the other was in his response.

It was likely that he’d need to wait a while for said response however, as the detective seriously doubted that Sowilo had ever heard - much less read - Japanese before and would have quite a challenge translating it.

\-------

Brown eyes scanned their first letter from the pen-pal they’d received, wariness replaced with interest as their new acquaintance and hopefully first friend’s alias to ease any nerves and break the ice caught the white haired boy’s attention. Sowilo was a rune, an ancient one associated with protection, light, victory, and good luck. Glancing down at the even more ancient ring resting against his chest the eleven year old smiled weakly, knowing already what alias he had in mind.

Ryou Bakura had joined his current school’s pen-pal program in the hopes of talking with someone the spirit in the ancient Egyptian pendant his father had gifted him couldn’t frighten away or curse, maybe make a friend for once. Between the deaths of his mother and little sister, his father’s constant travels afterward, and the spirit’s habit of possessing him whenever he takes offense to something his peers at school say or do to him Ryou doesn’t really have any of those. But he wants one.

Sowilo seems to share his interest with ancient cultures and runes as well, given his alias and what the English-Japanese boy can gleam from the rest of his letter. So it’s with that in mind that the white-haired boy pens his response, feeling a bit of foreign-familiar amusement from the spirit of the ring at his own choice of alias; Ka. The Egyptian hieroglyph, a pair of connected and mirrored arms, was scrawled at the bottom of his letter in place of his signature.

Hopefully Sowilo took to Egyptian as quickly and fondly as he did Elder Futhark. And if he did, accepting Ryou’s offer of language lessons, their later letters may be even more interesting. It would be nice to speak to someone in one of his other tongues besides English, father was never around enough to spare more than an odd sentence or two and the eleven year old didn’t fancy leaving his skills to grow rusty until he can brush them off in the future… Whenever that would be.


	2. Ka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some letters between the boys are sent. This chapter, if you couldn't guess by the title, focuses mainly on the interactions between Harry and Ryou (Sowilo and Ka).

When he got the first letters from his new pen-pals Harry was excited. That excitement was soon tempered by the contents of the first letter he’d read… or tried to at least. The raven could only make out the first sentence; an elegantly written challenge for him to translate the rest of the response before replying, since his - or should he say Dudley’s - pen-pal apparently refused to keep correspondence with anyone too lazy or dim as to be unable to hazard an attempt at deciphering the equally elegant foreign characters making up the rest of the letter.

The two characters that made up this other child’s signature at the bottom of the page stood out most under Harry’s luminous green gaze, which were doing their best to burn them into their mind. Not a difficult task for the orphan boy what with his perfect recall and photographic memory, not that either get much overt use with how constrained he is in his current situation.

える

Resolving to peruse the language books by his usual table when he visits the library as soon as class lets out the raven haired boy turns his strikingly green eyes to the other letter. Warily opening the envelope the ten year old glances at the now open response and lets out the breath he was holding in a whoosh, thankful to see that this one is written in English. Relieved that at least one of the two seemed just as eager to be friends - or at least friendly - with him Harry took in the letter properly.

_ Sowilo _

_ I’m more than happy to agree to your suggestion of using an alias in place of our true names, as that both sounds like fun and should reduce any anxiety either of us may have about sharing personal information with each other. I’m also rather intrigued by your choice of an Elder Futhark rune, as I myself am drawn to ancient cultures and mythology thanks in no small part to my father’s profession. He is an archaeologist who specializes in the field of Egyptology, which is why I’ve chosen an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph as my own alias. _

_ You may call me Ka. _

_ I recommend looking it and other hieroglyphs up if you haven’t yet, as I am no doubt going to go on at least one rant about them and the myths or history they depict at least once in our time as pen-pals. I’ve been told that I tend to gush a bit or ramble when I get talking about a subject I have interest in, so hopefully that doesn’t bother you too much. I’ve never really met someone my age who seemed to share my interest. _

_ Do you know any languages besides English? I know several, not that I get much use out of most of them these days. If you’d like I could send you some books or tapes to help you learn a few of the ones I know, so feel free to tell me which - if any - you’d be interested in learning. I’m hoping these language lessons will be a good topic to fall back on if either of us can’t think of a response or want to give anyone nosy an explanation of what we talk about that isn’t personal. _

_ My first languages are English and Japanese, as I grew up in a mixed household. But I’m also fluent in Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindi, and Ancient Egyptian thanks to all the travelling I’ve done with my father over the years. If any of those sound interesting I’d be more then happy to teach you them. _

Then, at the bottom where the signature would be, there was a symbol resembling a pair of mirrored arms connected to each other. It was a clear reference to the way Harry had scrawled a lightning bolt shaped sowilo rune on his own letters. The fact that his pen-pal seemed to share both his love of old cultures and myths, as well as seeming just as eager to share his own knowledge with Harry as the raven was to share his own with Ka, warmed the child’s heart.

He couldn’t wait to get to the library and pen his replies.

\-----

After a brief perusal of several asian language books Harry was positive that Dudley’s pen-pal, Eru according to the boy’s translation, was Japanese. What are the odds that both of his corespondents are fluent in the language, if not both being of Japanese descent? It was times like these that Harry’s uncanny memory and gift for learning came in handy, as now (after a week of practically inhaling the library resources to teach himself the language and its three scripts) the raven was fairly certain he could read Japanese well enough to properly respond to Eru.

And just to give it a try, hoping to impress the clearly genius level intellectual based on the now legible letter, the green eyed boy wrote his reply not just in Hiragana but tried his hand at kanji as well. Hopefully his letter ends up impressing his other pen-pal rather than making him look like an idiot. Harry was fairly certain he didn’t make any mistakes, but he was aware that self taught lessons through foreigner written books are not always the most accurate.

Ignoring his anxiety over his Japanese pen-pal’s reaction to his attempt at the language for now Harry turned his attention to the small stack of books his other one sent with his newest letter. Ka had taken the ten year old’s enthusiastic yes to learning everything the other could teach him with glee, judging by the package he’d sent. There was a single book for each language save the ones Harry had been most excited to learn, the tongues of his father’s ancestors, which he was given two extra books for. The gesture, thoughtful and heartwarming in a way the raven was completely unused to, made Harry blush a bit and struggle to hold back tears when he’d first laid his verdant eyes on it.

Harry had never learned much about his parents save what little his relatives were willing to divulge, which was generally meant to hurt him and given the Dursleys’ penchant for lying when it’s to do with him was probably a load of tripe anyways. Most of what they did say was about the boy’s mother, Lily, who thanks to his uncanny memory he remembered flashes of from when he was a baby - along a few others he couldn’t name. This was a bittersweet side effect of having perfect recall that the child was unsure how to feel about most of the time, but he’d be lying if he said he hated being able to recall the long and straight red locks his mother had or the way she had given him her green eyes and facial structure.

The raven’s father meanwhile was largely a mystery. Harry knows that much of his looks come from the man; his unruly black curls, his dark bronze skin, and his eyesight - given the dorkier looking pair of glasses the child recalls the man wearing. And he also knows that his father, whose name still eludes him, was both Hindu and the reason he was orphaned and had his sowilo shaped scar on his brow according to Uncle Vernon’s very colorful words about the man.

For some strange reason Harry remembers his father as a stag, though that could just be the man’s own unique gift along the vein of Harry’s ability to speak to snakes.

Ignoring that mystery for the moment green eyes drank in the beautiful Bengali and Devangari scripts, admiring the elegant lines and loops making up each character, on the pages of one of the three Sanskrit and Hindi language books Ka sent him. The alphabets, grammatical structure, and words contained within were committed to the ever growing library of knowledge stored in the safety of Harry’s mind; soon enough the boy will manage to teach himself both of the Indian languages the same way he did Japanese.

But he’d probably learn these two faster.

These scripts contained the characters of his ancestors. The languages they depicted were the tongues of his people. And the myths held in that third tome Ka had sent, with the colorful depictions of what Harry knew must be Hindu gods and legends, were the tales his family had likely grown up hearing.

Smiling fondly as he closed the book Harry penned his reply to the mixed race child, who he was more than happy to consider his first friend.

_ Dear Ka _

_ I cannot begin to thank you enough for the gifts you’ve given me. My entire life I’ve dreamed of knowing something, anything at all, of my heritage. The fact that you went to such lengths to help me with that means more than you can ever know. _

_ I hope that you don’t mind my saying that I consider you both the first and best friend I’ve ever had. _

_ Do you remember how I told you that my cousin gave me his own pen-pal as well? Believe it or not they speak Japanese too! Their first letter to me was written in hiragana and everything! It feels like it took ages to translate the thing, but luckily for me that book you sent me helped a lot. I hope you don’t find this offensive but kanji blew me away with how difficult they were, more than a thousand characters for a single script seems a tad excessive. _

_ My other pen-pal’s decided to go by the alias Eru, spelled like so: える. The fact that they’re using hiragana rather than kanji makes me think that they either aren’t Japanese at all or are from a mixed family like yourself. I’m betting Eru’s a french girl if it’s the latter, since that would make it Elle and their handwriting is almost sinfully gorgeous. What do you think? _

_ Also do you have any Japanese myths or legends I might find interesting? I’ve tried looking them up here but my local library is unfortunately lacking in that subject. They have a lot on European, Greek, and Roman lore and history though, so it’s not a total loss here. I’m rather fond of the few Wiccan and Pagan ones I’ve found, mainly because my relatives would likely murder me if I ever breathed so much as a word of magic or witchcraft in their house. _

_ What can I say, I’m a rebel at heart. _

_ Sincerely yours, Sowilo. _

Ryou set his newest letter down on his desk, a smile on his face, as a faint flush took over his pale skin and made his white hair stand out all the more. A friend, his first friend, saw him the same way. Sowilo even thanked him for the books as if he’d given him the world rather than a few simple texts, despite the fact that it was just the kind and polite thing to do.

Sowilo was interested in reconnecting with their heritage, though they did seem eager to learn all the other languages he’d offered as well, so it only seemed natural to give more books on Hindu languages and culture than the others. The eleven year old didn’t really think it was that big of a deal.

Apparently his pen-pal thought differently.

Ignoring the spirit of the ring’s clear dislike of his quote “sickeningly sweet emotions” on display at the moment the brown eyed boy pondered the rest of Sowilo’s letter. Eru (or Elle if the other’s guess turns out to be correct) sounds interesting, though the manner in which Sowilo acquired his second pen-pal struck the Japanese-English boy as odd.

In fact every scrap of information, fragmented and vague though they are, that Ryou gets about the other child’s relatives leaves the white haired boy with building worry in his gut. What little information he has paints a very worrying picture that Sowilo’s blase attitude about leaves him very unsettled. While he isn’t positive, not with how little the other speaks of his home life, Ryou has a feeling that Sowilo has a bad home life. The fact he uses the word relatives rather than family and speaks of them with detachment speaks volumes about that.

At that train of thought, for once, the boy feels as though the spirit sharing his body agrees with him on something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I put person of color Harry in this (I love that AU, it is my jam!). I also couldn't resist playing around with someone assuming their pen-pal is the opposite gender, L made for a fun choice for obvious reasons. 
> 
> Speaking of the detective, next chapter will be called Eru and focus on the interactions between Harry and him.
> 
> Hope you guys liked this!


	3. Eru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and L's early interactions with each other, the start of a beautiful friendship.

When L finally received his reply from Sowilo the young detective found himself pleasantly surprised by its contents. Not only had the other child managed to translate his letter faster that he’d expected them to but Sowilo had even gone the extra mile of responding not just in Japanese, but the other child had used kanji - not just hiragana or katakana - to write out his response.

The raven haired boy was suitably impressed and rapidly warming to the idea of keeping correspondence with Sowilo. The feeling only grew the further into the other child’s letter he got, dark rimmed black eyes gleaming with a level of amusement they rarely held.

It was obvious from the letters composition that his pen-pal was new to Japanese. The child’s sentence structure, grammar, and choice of words were overly formal and stilted; lacking all of the personality one could glean from their English writing. And the scrawl of their writing, while messy in both languages, was noticeably worse for the characters in this letter - speaking of the unfamiliarity the other had with kanji and hiragana.

With those facts and the admissions in the letter in question L had no doubt in his mind that this pen-pel of his had managed to teach himself to read and write Japanese, well enough to carry a conversation on his level, in a single week… An impressive feat.

_ Eru _

_ I must admit, I was shocked at first when I first saw your letter and the challenge therein. But I have never been one to shy away from a challenge if given the chance and reveled in the novelty of being presented one. I hope that this response is satisfactory enough for one of your clear intellect. _

_ I do not believe that I’ve made any errors in this letter but if I have then please let me know so I may avoid them in the future, my language lessons are barely underway and I very much doubt that the books I am learning from can teach me all of the nuances of the languages held within. _

_ Due to an arrangement with my cousin I actually have two pen-pals through this program, as he had little to no interest in writing a letter to some stranger. Believe it or not he would have been who you were writing to had I not agreed to do this for him. I am glad I did, as I doubt you would have enjoyed his complaints over your first letter. He is, as you may have guessed, very lazy and nowhere near smart enough to translate your letter even if he had years to try to. _

_ Even if he had the foresight to make me translate it for him he would be unable to comprehend half of the questions and statements you had sent his way. _

_ My own pen-pal has chosen the name Ka for themself, after the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for spirit. Their father is an Archaeologist specializing in Ancient Egypt and as a result they are fluent in several languages, including Ancient Egyptian, which they are currently teaching me. Ka says that language lessons are a good topic to have so that we can not only always have something to talk about but so that we can give an answer to anyone who decides to ask what we write about to each other if we believe they are being nosy, sating their curiosity so they will leave. I agree with them that it is an idea that has merit and have been interested in learning two of the languages they offered me for quite some time, so I agreed. _

_ Ka is teaching me Ancient Egyptian, Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Japanese. I was shocked when I discovered the latter, for what were the odds that both of my pen-pals could speak the same foreign language? Do you know any languages besides English and Japanese Eru, like French for example? Or perhaps any of the ones Ka does? If so would it be possible for you to recommend any books or other sources which I may use to study those as well? _

_ I eagerly await your response. _

_ Sowilo _

Chuckling fondly as he places the letter down - surprising Wammy, who had just brought him his afternoon tea and a slice of strawberry shortcake to snack on - the genius prepares to write his response to the other child with open excitement. L hadn’t had a conversation this engaging in ages, if ever, and any who’d come close before were all fellow children of Wammy House. Taking a bite of his dessert the raven pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, writing out his reply with glee.

_ Sowilo _

_ I applaud you for your effort, you’ve actually managed to surprise me. Your Japanese is remarkable for someone new to the language and the fact you’ve taught yourself to this level in the week it took you to respond to me is astonishing. I noticed no errors, though your manner of speaking was more formal and devoid of energy that it is with your English responses I am certain you will relax a bit once you’re more comfortable with the language. I also recommend practicing your writing a bit more, as your characters are a bit shakier than when you write in the English alphabet. _

_ I do in fact speak French fluently, though my skills in most of Ka’s languages are basic at best. I was born in Russia and raised there for much of my childhood before I came here, I also travel quite a lot and have picked up a number of languages as a result. I am fluent in Russian, French, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and Latin - though I know enough to get by in a few others and am studying them further. _

_ I agree to your plan of language lessons and will happily supply you any sources you need to expand your own skills, but be aware that I will regularly test your comprehension of any of the languages I teach you at random. I also recommend caution in teaching yourself so many languages at once, if you don’t pace yourself or take care you may end up confusing characters or words. You may even fail to retain the information you learn if you try to cram too much too quickly. _

_ I would also like to thank you for choosing to rescue me from whatever poor excuse for a response your cousin may have given, he probably would have turned me off of pen-pals forever judging by your description of him. _

_ I will enclose a list of books and websites for you to teach yourself my own languages at your leisure and look forward to your next response. _

_ Eru _

Harry beamed as he sat in his usual table, having gathered the books listed in the second sheet of paper that had been in his envelope the moment he set foot in the library and piled them to his left. He was now almost positive that Eru was actually Elle, a French and apparently also Russian girl, and was touched that she was worried about him stretching himself too thin. The raven haired Hindu boy resolved to write his next response to her in French just to show her that she has no reason to worry and impress her again.

The green eyed boy knew his limits and was confident that he would pick up all of these languages quickly, having plenty of time to study them with all the free time he has in class, at the library, and locked in his cupboard. In theory he’d be unable to read in the cupboard without drawing the ire of his relatives, since they’d know if he used the lightbulb for longer than allowed by how frequently they’d need to replace it, but he’d managed to figure out how to produce a small orb of light with his gift last year and just used that instead most of the time. It helped that the Dursleys couldn’t see the light the orb gave off the same way they’d notice the bulb so as long as he was silent Harry was able to read his new books all he desired in the dark and safety of his cupboard.

Even if he hadn’t been able to create the orb of light the ten year old would’ve had little trouble reading them, he’s always been unusually good at seeing in the dark.

Grabbing the first text in the pile, a book on French, Harry settled into his studies. He’ll work on the websites once he’s finished with the physical texts. Once it’s closer to the time he needs to return the Private Drive he’ll pen his letters to Ka and Eru, his prior plans of using the internet to study later giving the raven an idea that he couldn’t resist offering to the pair of children he saw as his first and closest friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter, but I hope you like it anyway. It sets up the rest of the boys' letters to each other and a plot point that will be important in the next chapter.
> 
> Next chapter will have all 3 boys after a timeskip (not a big one, just a few weeks to a month) and feature them plotting something fun together... though what that will be is a surprise ;)


	4. Bonding between friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys grow closer and meet IRL. Revelations are to be had.

While normally not one for games L will openly admit that the ones Ka, Sowilo’s other pen pal whom he’d found surprisingly just as engaging when they’d followed their shared companion’s advice and decided to also talk through email, introduced them to were actually a great deal of fun. The other boy, and he was a boy given how he refers to himself pronoun-wise, was clearly excited to finally have someone to play his various tabletop RPGs with. Given how engaging their campaigns have been over the last month the three of them have been playing them together over the internet L doesn’t blame him; there’s so much fun to be had in these games.

The detective especially loved the fun he routinely had designing his characters. He took a great deal of his once infuriating free time between cases designing the perfect characters for their next game together, taking much amusement in making them as unconventional as possible. Currently he favored playing an Arachni Bard that physically resembled himself, playing them as lawful good of all possible alignments for laughs. The laughs he got from Sowilo and Ka from playing a charisma based class as both the race with the worst - practically nonexistent really - charisma stats AND the least used alignment for said class period were beautiful.

Even if they were just text on a screen.

L meanwhile found his pen pals’ own preferred character designs equally as amusing as they were insightful. Sowilo favored dark and elemental magician archetypes, not surprising given their interest in mythology from around the world, and was always a female dark elf. The race choice was clearly for the dark bronze skin signature to dark elves alone in the game, which mirrored their own Hindu heritage in the real world.

It was the gender choice however that was most telling. Sowilo was always very polite and soft spoken, they had also always been careful to avoid referring to any of them or themself by gender pronouns unless explicitly told, like how they adopted male ones on Ka when he’d given his own via letter. That, paired with the fact that the other always chose to be female in every game they played had both L and Ka certain their shared friend was a girl. About 95% certain.

Judging by the semi-regular addition of glasses, red hair, and green eyes it was also very likely that those were traits Sowilo possessed in real life as well. When he’d messaged the other boy his opinion on that hypothesis Ka has sent a reply saying he’d also deduced as much through their campaigns.

And speaking of Ka… The other boy was a walking conundrum, often flipping between opposing personas in both their correspondence and their games. One minute his writing and word choice would be it’s usual manner, gentle and kind with a shy tone to it, and the next it would be near opposite. It was like talking to two different people.

This was mirrored in the fact that Ka always played two characters in every campaign, each clearly referencing the opposed personas. One was a white magician, the healer and support class, or on rare occasions some form of pacifist holy man. The other was always a thief class, or on the rare occasions the other was a holy man a necromancer, with a distinctive facial scar. The two characters, despite opposing each other in all those ways, were always near identical visually - like twins.

L was fairly certain that between that, the alias choice of Ka, and the frankly bipolar psyche profile the detective had formed of the other boy based of his messages the other had some manner of split personality disorder. It was the most logical deduction based on the evidence. Unusual, but not unheard of. It only made the other child all the more intriguing really.

It was through the trios campaigns together via the internet, as well as the few nuggets of information Ka and L had compiled together through their emails to each other, that painted a more complete picture of their pen pal’s home life. Let’s just say that less than ideal is likely a gross understatement if their suspicions are correct, a fact that lead to this moment.

-

Dark grey eyes rimmed in dark bruising suggesting a severe lack of sleep took in the building before them. Tracking down the library Sowilo frequented to message them was easy, laughably so for the child detective now stood outside it, as was ensuring he’d set the visit for the time their pen pal would most assuredly be writing or studying in their usual table. And if their letters are to be believed then Sowilo will be the only person, child or otherwise, in the language section of the library for them to find; meaning spotting them will be easy despite not knowing each others’ looks beyond speculations based off their tabletop character preferences.

L’s eyes moved to an approaching figure, their posture curious and excited - hopeful. The other child’s appearance was more or less what the detective guessed based off their Monster World campaigns; long white hair, pale skin, and brown eyes with gentle and aesthetically pleasing facial features.

“Ka I presume.” L states more than asks, earning a less shy posture and warm smile from the other boy. “Yes! And you’re Eru then? It’s nice to finally meet you!”

The raven nods, turning his gaze back to the building. ‘Let’s go then, I want to know if my hypothesis on Sowilo’s appearance is as accurate as yours was.”

Rather than huff or grumble, as most do when L says or does similar, the white haired boy seems fonder. Given Ka’s intellect it’s likely he can tell the detective isn’t ignoring him or brushing him off as most assume when he avoids pleasantries. If anything the other boy seems even more excited as he follows the slouching raven through the shelves to the back corner they know their shared friend is.

-

“Excuse me.”

The oddly accented voice has Harry looking up from his book, spectacled green eyes latching onto tired dark grey as he marks the page before shutting his book: The Encyclopedia of Spirits. The boy who’d talked to him was a little older than himself, with messy black hair and pale skin, and was hunched over with his hands in his pockets. The older boy’s clothes were a white shirt and blue jeans that were baggy, but not to the same degree as the castoffs Harry himself wore.

Just behind the other was another boy about the others’ age with long white hair and warm brown eyes shuffling anxiously. It was as he took in this boy, with skin just as pale as the raven and clad in a baggy striped tshirt and fitting pale blue jeans, that the dark skinned boy realized who these two had to be. The gold pendant sporting an Egyptian eye in its centre hanging from the nervous boy’s neck was something he’d become familiar with through his letters over the months.

“Ka?! Eru?!”

The pair’s smiles and answering “Hello Sowilo.” had the younger boy flustered. He wasn’t sure if the flush that overtook his face was noticeable, but he was certain that the building tears from the hug the white haired boy pulled him into as he spoke were.

“S-sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Harry stuttered as he wiped the tears from his face before they fell “I just… I never thought I’d see you two in person, at least not anytime soon.”

“I know how you feel.” Ka admits as he takes a seat in the chair next to the green eyed boy “I almost threw up this morning, I was so nervous when I was getting ready to meet Eru outside of here. It’s nice to finally have faces to go with the names, even if those are just aliases.”

Eru took the seat opposite the other two at the table, perching awkwardly on his chair in a sort of crouch and resting his face and hands on his raised knees. Oddly enough Harry found the posture fitting, the taller raven had always come off as the eccentric genius type through their letters and games together. If Ka’s smile is any indication he agrees.

“I have to admit I’m surprised. From your character preferences and manner of writing I was almost certain you were a female.” the grey eyed boy admits with notable amusement in his tone despite his blank expression“About 95% certain in fact.”

Harry snorted as he covered his mouth. “Funnily enough I was fairly sure you were a girl myself, a french one.”

The other boy’s blank face stretched into a faint smile at that. “Ah… That explains the lack of pronouns and interest in French. I’m guessing you thought I was translating the french Elle - meaning girl - into Japanese characters to further test you with my letter?”

“Yes actually.”

“I’ll admit, I thought the same up until I saw you today myself.” Ka admitted before suggesting. “Since we’re in person with no means of being overheard or discovered we can talk about more personal stuff now, right? Cause I actually have a lot I want to share with you two I was worried might’ve been caught by someone reading over our letters or email.”

“Likewise.” The tired looking raven agreed before adding with a playful smile and tilted head “I think you two are probably going to be my favorite people to let in on this little secret so far.”

Harry swallowed before steeling himself and sharing one of his own secrets first, not wanting to lose his nerve. “I can do things, things that shouldn’t really be possible… I think it’s why my relatives don’t like me. Aunt Petunia shrieked like a banshee when she caught me chatting with one of the garden snakes last week. Well, to me it was a nice chat about how many rats there were in the neighbors’ hedges. She apparently just heard the two of us hissing back and forth.”

Both older boys blinked before they said simultaneously “You speak parseltongue?”

“Yeah… You two know what it’s called? About people having odd gifts like turning into animals or speaking to snakes?”

Ka smiled awkwardly “I know plenty about magic. My mum was a witch before she died and I myself have magic. This actually makes things easier for me.” the white haired boy then turns curious brown eyes to the oldest among them and asked “So how do you know about magic?”

“Several of the children at the orphanage I live have magic. There isn’t really a magical orphanage to send them to so Wammy, our adoptive caretaker, typically gets called to pick them up since they fit his criteria of gifted children.” the raven shrugs “Everyone in Wammy House knows about magic even if not all of us can use it.”

“You live in an orphanage?” Harry asked warily, earning a frank “I’ve lived in several over the course of my life. First in Russia, then Japan, and now Wammy House here in England. I find my current one the most preferable as it’s meant for gifted children, be it magically or intellectually, to excel to the best of their ability.”

“Suddenly I find myself disappointed that my relatives never made good on their threats to give me to one over the years.”

Harry doesn’t notice the look the other boys share at that muttered comment.

“So… Any more revelations for this surprise get together?” the Hindu boy asks curiously, half joking. The other two happily comply. By the end of the day, as Harry leaves for number 4 giddy and contemplating what he’s learned about his two friends, he’s unaware of the plotting both are doing together as they watch him walk away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will contain a summary of the boys' conversation and the results of Ryou and L's plotting. 
> 
> Sorry for the wait! Hopefully i'll post more frequently again, my schedule was hectic until recently and I needed a break from writing for a bit.


	5. Plans (Fruitful and Failed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L and Bakura's plots are unveiled, as are Dumbledore's machinations so far.

Wammy is surprised by his ward when he returns. A fact that’s become more and more frequent ever since he’d made not one but two friends courtesy of the local Pen-Pal program. Not only did L’s meeting with the two in person seem to go well, but it had apparently lit a fire under the young detective.

Dark grey eyes fixed the screen of his work computer as he gathered a multitude of information on another child and their family, most certainly one of his new friends, as quickly and efficiently as possible. After a few moments of disgusted scoffing and printing out a physical copy of the assembled files the 12 year old turns to stare at the old man. Quilish is surprised when he finally hears his charge speak, passing him the pile of papers with a frown on his usually blank face.

“My meeting with Ka and Sowilo went well, even after we’d all shared the information we couldn’t or wouldn’t via email or letter. It did however affirm mine and Ryou’s - Ka’s - suspicions about Sowilo’s home life being unsuitable.”

Wammy briefly leafed through the papers. There was a surprising amount of abuse and domestic disturbance reports, medical reports depicting clear abuse, and shock yet telling school records further solidifying the abuse allegations in the pile. And as he glanced at the name of the child in question, the true name of L’s new friend Sowilo no doubt, the man was dumbstruck.

Harry James Potter.

God this was bad. Something was clearly wrong if this was how the savior of the local magical community was being raised and treated. Especially since it was clear that there was magical interference with the muggle authorities’ best attempts to correct this glaring mistake.

“We need to call ours and Harry’s account managers at Gringotts, something is clearly wrong on their end and it needs to be corrected immediately.” The look of thanks and relief on L’s tired face is one that warms the old man’s heart.

-

Their trip to Gringotts was a good call. The cutthroat little creatures have always been on good terms with the members of Wammy House, but their alerting them to a problem with their apparently most important client’s account and well-being left them all solidified as friends of the nation. Goblins don’t take kindly to thieves or those who trick them, taking pride in their work and craft, so having one discovered dipping their fingers into the collective biggest and oldest vaults they tend to had them more than eager to aid the orphanage’s efforts to fix this problem.

The fate of the goblin that had helped said thief tamper with the Potter Line and fortune left Wammy and his charge very glad they’d kept in the creatures’ good favor from the start. And the ensuing audit of all the vaults and accounts left to Harry afterward turned up quite a bit of information that had both goblin and muggle alike furious. It also spelled quite a lot of trouble for the wizard responsible for this mess.

L can’t fight his smile as he sits in the car after their work at the bank is concluded, his elderly adoptive guardian driving to and parking in front of a house that the child hates but is glad to be. The genius ignores Wammy’s conversation with Harry’s relatives, instead pulling the boy from his work serving said people to gather his things. As he helps the younger genius pack his few - mainly book based - meager possessions from the latched cupboard under the stairs, noting the mattress and ratty blanket within denoting this space as Harry’s room (despite there being 4 bedrooms upstairs, an attic, and a basement in this house), before leading him outside to wait by the car.

Green eyes glanced at the detective shyly “Y-you’re taking me away from here?”

The older raven nods “After our last meeting I was certain your home life was unacceptable, so I did research to find out what I could do to help. As it turns out your magical guardian, one Albus Dumbledore, had placed you here against your parents’ will and has been filtering money and heirlooms from your accounts for years. Upon reporting this to the goblins, the beings in control of the magical community’s bank, they set upon helping us fix these issues… Are you following so far?”

“A man named Dumbledore whom I’ve never met has been stealing from me and left me here to rot, even though he was told not to, and you and the goblins - who I’m excited to know are real by the way - are fixing it.” Harry was following, good.

L nods again and explains “While the goblins fix what’s wrong on your accounts’ end you’ve been entrusted to Wammy House until we can solve the mess that is your godparents’ situations. Two of them are hospitalized indefinitely, one is missing and deemed unfit for a magical condition, one was the one who betrayed your parents and led to their death and is presumed dead, and the one you should’ve gone to first had been wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit for years… The man didn’t even get a trial.”

The disgust at that fact is clear in the older boy’s voice and unsurprising. Harry , though his knowledge of this fact was new, knew that the famous detective hated when justice was thrown away by foolish and greedy politicians. Laws exist for a reason and need to be upheld for society to function, to do otherwise is irrational and beyond stupid.

“We’ve been setting up his trial, though the current Minister is doing his best to prevent that, so hopefully Lord Black will be a free man sooner rather than later. And until then you’ll have myself and the other children at the orphanage to help you catch up on magical culture and knowledge.”

Green eyes sparkled behind circular glasses. Harry was always eager to learn, the ensuing excitement at his words was something the genius had come to expect from his pen-pal… The hug however was new.

Oddly enough the detective didn’t mind it, he actually liked the embrace a lot, returning it somewhat awkwardly.

As the pair of boys sat leaning against each other in the back seat, the taller and older of the two pulling the younger into a conversation in Russian about what they’re going to learn once they get home, Wammy smiled. Harry was going to fit right in with his children. If the two’s mutters about their other friend are any indication then so will he.

_“Ryou’s going to lose his mind when we tell him what happened!”_ Harry giggled in French, earning a chuckle from L, before pondering aloud _“I wonder what he’s been up to.”_

_-_

Predatory amber eyes watched the house before them with barely contained disgust. The amount of openings they could see for them to sneak in, paired with the knowledge of how well off the inhabitants were, had their owner’s hands itching. These were exactly the kind of people he’d be stealing from in his past life.

Stealing was not what he came here for however.

Like a shadow the white haired boy snuck into the house, eyes scanning its contents lazily as he moved silently through it from the back door, through the dining room and kitchen, and on his way up the stairs like a ghost. To be fair he sort of was at the moment.

Bakura was typically not one easily swayed by his host’s emotions. Nor did the ancient thief spirit care much for Yadonushi’s attempts at normalcy. Just because he didn’t mind spending time with the kid and his friends didn’t mean the spirit had gone soft.

If anything what he had planned for the Dursleys initially paled in comparison to what he did after catching a better look of Harry’s life here. The mental image of the Hindu boy huddled in the ratty cupboard it was clear he’d lived in by its contents stoked the already simmering hatred in Bakura’s chest for the family.

Leaving the house just as quickly and silently as he came, the night hiding him and his actions from the usually watchful eyes of the neighbors, a smirk paints the possessed child’s face. Never before has sending a human soul to the shadow realm been quite so satisfying. And for once, despite his being conscious for the entire time in the back of his mind, Ryou was just as happy with the spirit’s actions.

And while elsewhere a frazzled Dumbledore bemoans the failing gadgets monitoring the Dursley house and all its residents on top of his many tomes and objects borrowed from the Potter vaults vanishing, wondering what could have possibly gone so wrong in his plans, Bakura cackles maniacally. As the spirit walks his body home, in the back of his mind, Ryou joins him in laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be Harry learning about magic and meeting a few of the other Wammy House kids. It will also have Bakura/Ryou visiting them a bit. 
> 
> There's going to be some fluff and maybe the start of some shipping. 
> 
> Hope you guys like this so far and sorry for the wait!


	6. Life at Wammy House

Harry beamed as he held his Hogwarts letter in hand, running to find L and leaving his bemused guardians - as well as several children from Wammy House that were awake - at the sizeable dinner table with breakfast. The famous detective rarely ate in the dining room, usually only when Harry himself drags the older boy there. Tired dark eyes fixed the near vibrating eleven year old with bemusement when he opened the door to his room with a familiar letter in tow.

L had seen a few of his fellow orphans receive their Hogwarts letters over the years and was well used to the ensuing excitement. He will admit however that seeing said excitement from Harry specifically was pleasant. It always brought a little warmth to his colder than usual heart to see his first real friend so happy.

It had been nearly a year since Harry came to be a ward of Wammy House. Shortly afterwards the detective, with the bespectacled boy’s help, had managed to crack the case of Sirius Black - Harry’s wrongly incarcerated godfather - and gotten him released as a free man through the cutthroat and ever professional goblin lawyers the detective used. However, due to the damage he received during his stay in Azkaban, the Black lord was not yet able to take full guardianship of his godson yet.

Sirius had become a ward of the orphanage as well. When he wasn’t at one of his physical or mental therapy sessions the wizard was found either in the library, researching “muggle” topics he’d missed out on over the years and his upbringing, or with Harry and L himself. The detective was rather fascinated by the man’s insightful comments on the odd case he’d find the teen mulling over or gleeful desire to join in on their game nights with Ryou.

Black wasn’t the only magical to become a regular face at the orphanage either.

One of the most damning pieces of evidence they’d used to free the man had been the contents of the Potters’ sealed wills, which Harry had unsealed and read as they’d been meant to all those years ago. The will reading had thrown many present, as well as the populace who heard of the contents via the one reporter in attendance (who the detective and Boy-Who-Lived had allowed so long as she printed only the truth), for a loop.

Contained within was the identity of their secret keeper, the one who betrayed them, as well as the fact he was an unregistered animagus who could turn into a rat: Peter Pettigrew. As well as a list of names, most being Harry’s godparents or family friends, in order of who their son should go to upon their death. Many of those present weren’t even aware they were godparents or on the list, and as a result were righteously pissed at this being hidden from them.

_‘The care of our son, Harry, should go to one of those mentioned below. They are listed in order of whom he should go to successively, so if the first name is unable simply follow the list to the first viable option. Firstly he should go to one of his four godparents:_

_Godfather Sirius Orion Black_

_Godmother Alice Longbottom nee Fortescue_

_Godfather Severus Tobias Snape_

_Godfather Remus John Lupin_

_If all four are unable to take custody he should go to any of those listed below:_

_Arthur and Molly Weasley_

_Amelia Bones_

_Hestia Jones_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Andromeda Tonks nee Black_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

_Emmeline Vance_

_Rubeus Hagrid_

_Charity Burbage_

_Filius Flitwick_

_Poppy Pomfrey_

_Aurora Sinestra_

_Horace Slughorn_

_Pomona Sprout_

_Septima Vector_

_Marlene McKinnon_

_Dorcas Meadows_

_And if even those are unavailable custody of our son should go to any magical family who seeks to care for him, so long as they pass the test we’ve left for them in the hands of our goblin account manager._

_Under absolutely no circumstance is our son to go to Petunia Dursley nee Evans, as she has a deep hatred of magic and will no doubt make his life miserable provided she doesn’t kill him. We would sooner give Harry to Death Eaters or Voldemort himself to raise than whatever hell she would put our child through.’_

The reaction to this knowledge was, as one could guess, outraged. L and Harry felt a bit of schadenfreude at the way most present immediately reamed into Dumbledore for sealing and ignoring this knowledge, knowledge that according to his signature at the bottom as witness he was fully aware of and lied about to suit his own ends. McGonagall, a teacher whom the detective had already had a high opinion of based on what the magical Wammy House children had to say of her, had easily risen in his favor with the reaming she gave the old man.

Apparently she had told him the moment she heard where he was sending Harry that the Dursleys were no good, having scoped them out to be certain they would be appropriate and found them lacking immediately. “Only family he has my arse Albus! You lied to me, to Severus, to everyone about this!” The woman then went into a tirade of thick and very angry Scottish Gaelic that, despite L knowing very little of the language, what little he could grasp of it proved it quite a colorful telling off.

The will reading had then listed off several gifts and donations the couple wished to go to specific places or people, which - thankfully - the goblins could handle on their behalf with a snap of their fingers as each was noted aloud. Upon the end of the will reading several people had approached the boys, though most left after giving their condolences as L could be rather intimidating when he wanted to be with his lanky frame and tired, rarely blinking eyes fixed on them when they began to crowd or otherwise make the younger raven uncomfortable.

A few became regular visitors of the orphanage though, namely the boy’s godfathers.

Remus Lupin was easily identifiable as a werewolf, but was also just as easily identified as a gentle and scholarly soul who would never willingly attack another. L and Harry often found themselves and Sirius struggling to get the tawny haired wizard to stay with them at the orphanage (though they did get him to accept a job as a tutor for the children who are younger and over the summer).

Severus Snape meanwhile was not what L expected. He’d heard many a tale over how difficult the man was as a teacher (though given his subject and clear genius the raven wasn’t surprised) as well as how abrasive he was in personality. The detective merely smiled, and pointed out that the Potions Master was like himself and to treat him accordingly. Few Wammy House members had trouble with the teacher after this revelation.

Upon meeting the man in person the young teen, while agreeing with his former assessment, also recognizes that the man is far more complex at his core. Snape was close to and loved Lily, Harry’s mother as his first and only friend. He also had a mostly justified hatred of James and his friends for years of bullying and abuse at their hands that mainly went unpunished because of their houses and James’ own powers of authority.

As a result the mans feelings about Harry himself were… complicated.

Over the year of regular visits and somewhat burying the hatchet with his childhood bullies, the three being forced to act their age by Harry and apologize to each other like adults, Severus had come to relax around them a bit. If only in private. He also made for a fun source of information and conversation when he had time to pop over and wind down from his stressful job as Head of Slytherin house.

Jolted back to the present from his reflection by Harry resting a hand on his shoulder L’s dark grey eyes locked with vivid green, a faint smile pulling his lips. “I’ll message Ka about our trip to Diagon for supplies, you go eat.”

The younger raven pouted “You need to eat too y’know.” earning a dismissive wave from the detective. “I’ll go eat after I email Ryou, him and Bakura will be upset they don’t come on your first trip shopping for school.”

“Promise?” the darker skinned boy asked, holding out a pinky with narrowed eyes. L snorted, well aware of and amused by his friend’s well placed skepticism on his agreement to eat in the dining room. Linking pinkies and shaking their linked hands once firmly the detective agrees “I promise.”

Scanning his face and nodding when he deems the older raven is telling the truth Harry beams and skips off to rejoin the others in the dining room. As he sits in the dark, lit only in the faint glow of the computer he turns to message their white haired friend, L chuckles. His penpals really have made his life all the more interesting the longer he’s known the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first half of the massive chapter I was working on, which i'm splitting so you guys don't have to wait so long for an update. Hope you like it!
> 
> Next chapter should be their shopping trip in Diagon, making new friends, and a bit of fun in the time between shopping and getting on the train.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Mistaken Identity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20967374) by [CrystalAzul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalAzul/pseuds/CrystalAzul)
  * [Pact of the Deathless Ones](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23490760) by [CrystalAzul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalAzul/pseuds/CrystalAzul)


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